This invention utilizes and improves technology that is disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,522, granted Dec. 31, 1996, to Raymond Keith Foster and Randall Mark Foster, and entitled Reciprocating Floor Conveyor For Conveying Palletized Loads Or The Like; U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,555, granted Jun. 15, 1999, to Raymond Keith Foster, and entitled Vehicle/Dock Loading/Unloading Conveyor Systems; U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,923, granted May 23, 2000, to Raymond Keith Foster, and entitled Vehicle/Dock Alignment System; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,375, granted Aug. 27, 2002, to Raymond Keith Foster and Randall Mark Foster, and entitled Reciprocating Floor Conveyor For Conveying Palletized Loads Or The Like. It also utilizes technology disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/334,978, filed Jan. 18, 2006, and entitled Slat Conveyor Having Conveyor Slats And Lifting/Holding Slats.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,588,522 and 6,439,375 and application Ser. No. 11/334,978 relate to using reciprocating slat conveyors for moving palletized loads. Problems associated with such loads are addressed by the use of slat conveyors having both conveying slats and lifting/holding slats. The lifting/holding slats have upper portions that are moved vertically between “up” positions in which their upper surfaces are above the upper surfaces of the conveying slats, and “down” positions in which their upper surfaces are below the upper surfaces of the conveying slats. When the lifting/holding slats are in their “down” position, the load rests on the conveying slats. The conveying slats are moved a stroke length and are then stopped. Then, the lifting/holding slats are moved upwardly into their “up” position to lift the load up off the conveying slats. Then, the conveying slats are retracted to a start position. The lifting/holding slats are moved back into their “down” position and the cycle of operation is repeated until the cargo has been loaded or unloaded.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,555 relates to a way of coupling together the slats of a first conveyor in a vehicle (e.g. a trailer) and a second conveyor on a dock. U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,923 discloses a system for aligning the rear end of a vehicle with a confronting end of the dock. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/334,978 relates to a system of conveying and lifting/holding slats in which the lifting/holding slats have upper and lower portions separated by air bladders. Air is introduced into the bladders for moving the upper portions of the lifting/holding slats upwardly into a holding position. Air is exhausted from the bladders to allow the load to move the upper portions of the lifting/holding slats into their down positions.
There is a need for an easy to make and use releasable connection between conveying and lifting/holding slats on a dock and conveying and lifting/holding slats in a vehicle. A principal object of the present invention is to fill this need. However, the connection for the conveying slats is not limited to use with conveyor slats but rather is believed to have general utility.